Advice from an Upright Heart
When we give advice to others, we need to make sure that we speak the truth in love. However, that can be pretty complicated, since there is a lot that goes into knowing and speaking truth. Elihu was a younger man who had listened to Job and his three friends conversing about Job's situation. When the three older men went silent, he spoke up. He began to speak to Job by assuring him his heart was upright, and he was sincerely sharing with him what he knew. (Job 33:3) That sounds well and good, but we can learn from what Elihu said.
We should always seek to have an upright heart and to speak from an upright heart. If we know that we have unconfessed sin, so that we are out of fellowship with the Lord and not led by His Spirit, we should keep silent. The truth is that anyone can claim to have an upright heart, but before we speak advice to others, we should be diligent to make sure our heart is clean before the Lord. (Matthew 7:1-5) Also, when we speak to others, we should do it sincerely. That means we should not have mixed motives. We should genuinely desire to help the other person and to impart what we know. Sincerity is good, but we can be sincerely wrong. That is why we need to make sure that what we know is God's truth and not our opinion. That is why we should stick to sharing strictly from the Bible, God's Word. Then, we know we share the truth, and it will be helpful to the other person. Therefore, I would urge all of us not to give advice flippantly, but to search our hearts and consult God's Word before we try to counsel anyone.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Job 34-37.
We should always seek to have an upright heart and to speak from an upright heart. If we know that we have unconfessed sin, so that we are out of fellowship with the Lord and not led by His Spirit, we should keep silent. The truth is that anyone can claim to have an upright heart, but before we speak advice to others, we should be diligent to make sure our heart is clean before the Lord. (Matthew 7:1-5) Also, when we speak to others, we should do it sincerely. That means we should not have mixed motives. We should genuinely desire to help the other person and to impart what we know. Sincerity is good, but we can be sincerely wrong. That is why we need to make sure that what we know is God's truth and not our opinion. That is why we should stick to sharing strictly from the Bible, God's Word. Then, we know we share the truth, and it will be helpful to the other person. Therefore, I would urge all of us not to give advice flippantly, but to search our hearts and consult God's Word before we try to counsel anyone.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Job 34-37.